Twitter users have had a field day with Australian PM Tony Abbott’s claim that he would “shirtfront” Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit over the MH17 crash – because the leaders' face-to-face encounter actually resulted in a...koala cuddle.

Yes, that’s right.
Social media is abuzz with photos of Abbott and Putin snuggling
up to the world’s cutest marsupial, even though previous
statements had almost guaranteed that a scuffle was in the
works.

When the soft, furry critter sunk its claws into Putin’s suit,
the Australian PM seemed to feel quite soft and fuzzy inside
himself; a smackdown shoulder charge appeared to be the last
thing on his mind.

Abbott’s remark came
back in October, after he told journalists that he would
“shirtfront” the Russian president on the sidelines of
the G20 summit over the MH17 tragedy.

“I am going to shirtfront Mr. Putin – you bet I am – I am
going to be saying to Mr. Putin [that] Australians were murdered,
they were murdered by Russian-backed rebels,” Abbott said.

'Shirtfront' is a
football term for a front-on chest bump or rough handling aimed
at knocking a rival backwards to the ground. It is a
“reportable offence and considered illegal,” according
to the Australian Football Rules website.

Abbott has faced his fair share of criticism both online and in
the media lately. Most recently, he came under fire for stating
that before colonization in 1788, the country was “nothing except bushes” – apparently
forgetting about the country's indigenous peoples.

Meanwhile, the only “shirtfronting” to take place
happened on Friday at the official greeting for the G20 summit in
Brisbane – but it wasn't by Abbott; it was by Canadian PM Stephen
Harper.

Putin approached the Canadian PM with his hand extended, which
Harper shook while simultaneously accusing Putin of sending
troops to Ukraine.

“Well I guess I’ll shake your hand, but I only have one thing
to say to you: you need to get out of Ukraine,” Harper said,
as cited by his spokesman Jason MacDonald.

According to the Kremlin’s press service, Putin’s reply was that
“unfortunately it is impossible – because we are not
there.”

Western media is closely following every step of the Russian
president at the G20 summit. After his meetings with British PM
David Cameron and France’s President Francois Hollande, Reuters
cited “an unnamed source in the Russian delegation”
claiming that Putin planned to leave the summit early after
Western leaders' pressure over the Ukraine crisis.